Cheap Room Service (Video) (Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx) (William A. Seiter) Price

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Customer Reviews of Room Service

Still A Good Marx Bros. Film
"Room Service" released in 1938, is the Marx Bros. eighth film. Originally based on a play that had nothing to do with either the Marx Bros., or their brand of comedy, little room was created for the trio to go wild in this film. Absent is much of the Marxist humor we are so accustomed to, and want to see in all their films. Also absent is Margaret Dumont. And while "Room Service" has its enjoyable moments, it marks a turning point, a downward slide for the brothers and their future films. All of the blame cannot be given to the Marx Bros., however. RKO, the film's distributor, which had acquired the rights for the film version for a large sum of money, wanted to keep the movie in as much its original form as possible.

Groucho plays producer Gordon Miller. He is staying in the hotel where his production of "Room Service" is about to be performed. It is the opening night, and rehearsals are still going on, as is the construction of the set. The only problem is the bill he has rung up, which the hotel manager keeps asking him for. As the manager happens to be Groucho's brother in law, he is more leinient with him, than he otherwise would be. Still, he threatens to cancel the play if partial payment is not made.

Chico plays, of all things, the director of the play. Some critics have cited flaw in this, as Chico has never been put in such in important position. Indeed, he is hardly involved with the play, spending most of his time with Groucho in his hotel room. Harpo plays Faker Englund, and for the first time in a Marx Bros. film, he has no real purpose for being there. In the original play, Faker Englund was a minor character, with few lines. Here, those lines are given to Chico, and Harpo is merely allowed to create the mayhem which is his trademark. And indeed, Harpo's scenes do help to move the film along, and give a certain amount of comic relief. He too joins his brothers in the hotel room.

Groucho, confined to his hotel room, is not allowed to leave until he pays his bill. House detectives are always nearby to make sure he doesn't try to leave. And while the hotel manager is still threatening to cancel the opening night of the play, Groucho stalls for time, promising payment as long as the play is allowed to go on. The manager capitulates, for the time being.

The Marx Bros. are as confined to the hotel room as they are to the comedy they can perform. Still, there are good moments, such as Harpo playing dead in order to stall for time, and keep the play running.

For those people eager to watch the Marx Bros. perform their style of comedy, run rampant among society, wise-crack to the arragant elite, and use puns and one-liners to whittle to size the snobs, "Room Service" may be a disappointment. However, for the loyal Marx Bros. fan, this film can still be enjoyable and funny.

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Tent Service in Vermont!
Just can't wait for Coventry? Rent this 5 star film to pump you up! Groucho Marx, well known at previous phestivals, delivers strong performance here.

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"There must be somebody I can sue."
ROOM SERVICE is the only film in the Marx filmography that was not specifically written for the Brothers. It was originally a stage play and adapted to the screen without regard for the peculiar talents of those who would be bringing the production to life. It shows. There's a good rule of thumb in regards to Marx Brothers films. The goofier the name of Groucho's character, the better the film. DUCK SOUP had Rufus T. Firefly. A DAY AT THE RACES had Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush. And ROOM SERVICE has, um, Gordon Miller. Yes, Gordon Miller. That must have had them rolling in the aisles.

The late Gene Siskel claimed that a movie fails if it is less interesting than a hypothetical documentary involving the same cast of actors and actresses sitting around having lunch. His rule definitely applies in this case. The Marx Brothers, Lucille Ball, Ann Miller. Who wouldn't want to eavesdrop on that meal? But who wants to see them in a movie that treats them all as generic characters? Certainly not me.

There are so many things wrong with ROOM SERVICE that I scarcely know where to start. The fact that it isn't funny is high on my list of complaints. So is the lack of a convincing bad guy. Come on, fellows, this is a Marx Brothers film where I'm supposed to have a stereotypical evil dude to boo and hiss at! The only person here to cheer against only wants Groucho (sorry, Gordon Miller) to pay off his IOUs. Hardly mustache-twirling behavior. And the couple we're supposed to be rooting for isn't much better (at least, I assume we're supposed to be rooting for them). The playwright character (the Zeppo-type straight man) is boring and whiney as all get out.

The thing that gets me about William A. Seiter's direction is how slow it is. Gags are dragged out way too long. One-liners that should be rapid fired come out at a snail's pace. The film's only savior is Harpo who is once again off in his own little silent universe. Ordinarily this allowed him to bounce his surreal antics off of other goofy goings-on. But here, he's the only source of fun. Groucho, Chico and Lucy are bound by the dialog in the script, and therefore simply can't be as funny as we know they're capable of being.

The picture's only real comedy moments come from scenes where the script was presumably vague enough to allow the Brothers to insert some actual funny stuff. Harpo destroying a hotel room chasing an obviously fake turkey and the scene of the Brothers enjoying their first meal in days are genuinely amusing moments, but such sequences are very few and very far between. And Lucille Ball is completely, utterly and totally wasted. A great shame.